Rebuilding
by ColourfulZebra
Summary: Six months after the war at Hogwarts, George needs Ron's help with a project that will bring them closer together and help George move on  but never forget  the loss of his twin brother.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First, a disclaimer... I don't own Harry Potter or anything within the Potter-verse, which all belong to J.K. Rowling and I'm only borrowing for a short period to bother George and Ron relentlessly. **

**Second, this fic had no beta, however I checked spell check often and re-read a few times and if that's not good enough then you can beta for me ;D**

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><p>Rain poured heavily over the little houses littered around the outskirts of Bristol, the clouds throwing great shadows over the lush green lawns that were thriving in the springtime. While muggles were the predominant inhabitants of the suburb, a small few were living a double life, possessing extraordinary abilities that most humans only dreamed about, all possible from the swish of a wand in the air, a community within the muggle community, of wizards and witches.<p>

The town itself was as normal as any other. People hopped in their cars each morning and drove to work, gardens were tamed by gardeners or some tended to theirs themselves, children (weather permitting) would play outside on their lawn and sometimes in the street. Six months ago the scene would have been much different; everyone knew there was some sort of rift going on, people were being taken from their homes, others murdered, no one felt safe: anyone could have been a victim.

The peaceful nature of the small town now back to normality, none would assume that several magical families took residence in the average two bedroom households that lined the streets, none would imagine that behind closed doors mysterious and exciting things were happening every day, to muggles things they couldn't imagine, to the others it was just normal necessary behaviour.

Granted normal 'muggle' behaviour was displayed in these magical homes too, and this morning was no different to any other muggle's house. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted from the kitchen through the hallways, the sound of a television at low volume showing the news, the loud snores of one still asleep heard through the crack in the barely open door.

"Ron!" Called a voice in the kitchen, already knowing she'd receive no answer. "Ronald Weasley," Hermione Granger pushed the door open, staring at the tuft of red hair peeking out from above the quilt, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated fashion. "I go to all this trouble of making you a cooked breakfast and you fall back to sleep,"

"Cooked breakfast?" Ron mumbled from beneath the bed covers. He sniffed the air and pushed himself into a sitting position, smiling up at Hermione whose face went from angry to amused almost instantly.

"Yes and I'll eat it all myself if you don't get out of bed this instant." She stood, arms folded in the doorway, Hermione meant business. As much as one can when dressed in nothing but their pyjamas.

Ron grinned, got out of bed and closed the short distance between them, pulling her into a hug. "Thanks 'Mione." He kissed her lips and her nose, leading them both back into the kitchen. The eggs and bacon were in the pan, the eggflip turning them over by itself periodically as the lot sizzled loudly. "That looks amazing, what did I do to deserve this meal?" Ron questioned, dropping into one the dining chairs, taking on a look of suspicion.

Hermione shrugged, opening one of the windows just in time to allow a tawny owl to flutter gracefully in, dropping a wet copy of the Daily Prophet on the table. It stuck its leg out impatiently, flying off once it had received payment and she closed the window once more. "It's a nice weekend-"

"It doesn't look very nice to me…" He muttered back, staring out the window where the wind blew harshly and the rain lashed against the glass, the noise of the television set unable to compete it was silenced in the background. "But that's not to say I don't appreciate what you've done for me sweety." He quickly corrected when he caught the look on her face. Hermione began dishing up their meal while Ron grabbed his wand off the kitchen counter, to begin attempting to siphon off the water that left the Prophet moist.

"Well it's a nice weekend for a _cooked breakfast_ then," She began once more using her wand to transfer the meal to two plates, putting both down on the table, one in front of Ron the other in front of her own chair. She sat down across from him and smirked. "I also have some good news and thought we could celebrate." She paused, awaiting his reaction.

Ron looked up from the egg he was about to cut into, giving Hermione a curious glance, his excitement mirroring Hermione's own. "What good news?"

She passed a thick roll of parchment across the table, breaking into a full-fledged grin, shaking lightly from where her foot continuously tapped the wooden floor beneath her chair. "Oh go on, open it!" she looked ready to explode as he unrolled the letter, his eyes scanning the page as quickly as he could manage.

"Miss Granger, we are pleased to inform you that the Ministry of Magic has accepted your application to join its staff in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." He spoke as quickly as he could, skimming through the rest of the letter with an amused look on his face. Forgetting the bacon and eggs momentarily he jumped to his feet and pulled Hermione (difficultly as she was still in her chair) into a hug, kissing her quickly all over her shocked but happy face. "I can't believe it, you got in!"

Hermione giggled slightly, patting him awkwardly on the head as she didn't currently have full use of her arms. "Well, to be quite honest I wasn't really surprised. I'm not trying to sound stuck up-"

"But you're going to anyway,"

She ignored him. "But before we left Hogwarts I had the highest grades in our year and the Minister must be a little biased, being Kingsley Shacklebolt and all…" She finished matter-of-factly.

Ron smirked at her, shaking his head with exasperation. "Well we can't all be little geniuses." He walked back to his seat, resuming his position of cutting his egg once more. The telephone by the table rang, Ron paused, egg halfway to his mouth, frowning his distaste at whoever was calling, their timing couldn't have been worse. "I'll get it,"

Picking up the phone he put it to his ear, smiling at the voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi Ron,"

"George, it's great to hear from you." Ron meant it; it wasn't often now that he spoke to George, simply because George didn't really speak to anyone unless they made the effort first. George was currently living in an apartment within central London, he said he preferred being around muggles as it helped him forget. Hermione believed he preferred the muggle atmosphere as it disconnected him from the magic, which subsequently killed his twin.

Ron just thought George was avoiding his family because he was being a big git, but despite this he still didn't want to scare George off, or insult him, this was a rare opportunity and he wasn't about to waste it.

"I know its short notice but I hope you'd be able to visit today."

Ron's eyebrows rose, this was an unexpected development. "Uh, sure!" Ron was aware he may be neglecting all of Hermione's weekend plans by agreeing to see his brother, but on the other hand he may not get another chance (Hermione wasn't likely to tell him no) and so he was happy to oblige. "What time would you like me to drop around?" The two made their plans for that afternoon, Hermione of course was fine with his decision, agreeing it would be good for both of them to see one another.

~o~o~o~

Ron apparated into the living room of George's London apartment, glancing around for the aforementioned George, his eyes spotted a face peering out through the kitchen and Ron waved awkwardly in his direction laugh lines thrown into sharp relief as he grinned. They embraced momentarily, exclaiming over one another's slight changes in appearance and manner (despite it being only six months each had grown up considerably- if no longer upward then at least Ron now more muscular fitting into his previous lanky appearance, and George more lean making him appear larger then he perhaps was).

George's face was still that of someone who held humour, his eyes maintained the old sparkle, but his face appeared somewhat gaunt in other areas. His mouth turned down at the corners, the crease lines on his forehead more prominent- Ron kept these thoughts to himself, George did not ask him here to fuss over him and assure (as their mother Molly Weasley would have) that he was eating adequately.

Ron knew that there was something more to this meeting then just a simple phone call could convey, if they were to speak long distance it would traditionally be by owl, the phone call itself displayed urgency in what George required.

"I'm aware I called you here short notice…" George began, grabbing some clothes littering the couch and putting them somewhere out of sight so Ron could sit down. "I'm not asking for charity and I certainly don't want to cause you or Hermione to feel a sense of obligation," He continued, sitting down on the wooden coffee table that was facing the couch. "I do however need some help, and to be honest you were the only person I could think of that I wanted to ask."

Ron smiled encouragingly. "I'll try to help however I can, I'm not certain I'll be able to fulfil all your requests but the sentiments still there."

George almost grinned. "I appreciate the sentiment Ron," He quipped sarcastically. "Though it's sort of only one request, with a few parts." He watched Ron's eyebrows knot in confusion and couldn't help but give him a slight smile this time. "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes has been sitting neglected for six months, ever since the-" He tried to finish his sentence but hesitated as the word 'war' caught in his throat. He didn't pick up that line again, preferring to skip over it entirely; he still wasn't all for discussing certain memories with anyone, including Ron. "I finally feel it has been long enough, I was hoping to restore it to its former glory. The place costs a lot to keep; I'm running out of the funds to supply. I either sell it- I could never- or pick up business once more. I can't work back there on my own… not without my- our brother…" George paused to let Ron process all he had said.

Ron looked thoughtful. He would have loved nothing more than to jump up and say 'yes of course!' but he had commitments at home that he couldn't just drop, a life outside his family now (he couldn't consider this lightly, even unfortunately for his brother). Of course Ron was the only logical choice here- no one else would be so willing to help George fix up and then continue the business his brothers had painstakingly started with no funding or family support at the beginning.

"I would love to help but I'll need to discuss it with Hermione first, you understand." George nodded his face completely calm as if expecting this answer from Ron from the beginning. "Will this role require financial support?" George shook his head.

"I still have enough money to restore the building; I can't leave it any longer though. I was looking for a business partner however; you were the first person that I thought would most closely cover Fred's side of the business." He didn't flinch to say the name; he was proud of his brother and would never shy away from him despite his tragic death, the circumstances surrounding his death however George found hard to mention in casual conversation or otherwise.

"Well, thanks George." Ron replied rather lamely, his own cheeks clashing with his freckles as he blushed a light maroon. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can, as soon as I've spoken to Hermione."

George nodded, calm and collected as he stood once more, smiling down at Ron. "Thanks for coming."

"It was my pleasure," they hugged once more, Ron stepped back and with a loud pop had vanished from the threshold. George sighed, spun around and collapsed back to the couch. That took a lot of courage, it had been hard to appear less vulnerable then he felt he was.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter, all characters and themes belong to J.K. Rowling. **

**This fic has no beta, please excuse any mistakes. **

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><p>The rain had dropped to a light drizzle late in the afternoon, the sky a deep grey, threatening more storms to come through the night. Ron apparated onto the front porch of a spacious Victorian house, shaking water from his thick ginger locks, he then rapped sharply on the door. Ron tried to peer into the house through the peephole, the hallway inside was too dark to get even a little idea if anyone currently resided inside.<p>

"Come on Harry," Ron whined, glancing about as a gust of wind blew his hair about forcing him to push it from his face. Knocking again he heard a 'yeah, yeah' coming from the other side, a click as the door unlocked and Ginny Weasley greeted her brother with an expression of distaste.

"Oh, it's only you."

Ron's eyebrows rose. "That's a lovely way to greet your older brother! 'Oh it's only you', why tell me dear sister who it was you were expecting?"

"Not that it's any of your business Ronnie, but I was actually waiting for a package to arrive and thought that maybe it was here…" She stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind her and assuring to lock it too.

"What? Muggle post?" He looked weary; there were many things he agreed that muggles managed to do impressively well, deliver the post (he'd observed on occasion) was not one of them.

"How do you know I was expecting muggle post?" Ginny always hated the way her brother pried into everything in her life, back in Hogwarts he tried to control her taste in boys- now he was dictating the system of their post deliveries, it was getting out of hand.

"Well I haven't had too many owls in my lifetime knock on the door when they arrive with the mail…" Ron's look said it all and simply received an eye roll in return. "Generally the muggles deliver packages and the boxes are damaged or late or-"

A new voice joined their squabbles. "Hey Ron," he wasn't following their conversation from a minute ago and so simply walked over to hug his old friend. "What's happening?"

Ron smiled as Harry descended the stairs, pulled into a hug, Harry couldn't see Ginny poking out her tongue childishly but Ron certainly did. "I just wanted to see how my best friend was doing; we've both been so busy lately it's been hard to catch up." Harry agreed they had spent some time lately establishing homes and careers, before that (after the war) they had been tracking down and incarcerating hiding death eaters, it hadn't left nearly enough time for friendly socialization.

They dropped into lounge chairs by the empty fireplace, Ginny returning with three cups that she placed on the coffee table between them. Curling up on the arm of Harry's chair, she leaned back smiling as they began friendly chit chat, continuing for a short while. Ron didn't want to get too carried away, Hermione would become suspicious if he stayed out longer than a few hours, he already felt like he was betraying her by coming here without her, she would have loved to have seen Harry and Ginny (this was mentioned by all three several times through conversation, which at the time Ron passed off haphazardly).

Finally Ron couldn't postpone any longer, knowing it was almost time to depart and that Hermione's decision mattered more than his friends in the long run, but he needed that second opinion from a close outside source. "I didn't just come here to catch up; I'd like your opinions on something." He didn't really think it was a topic of necessary confidentiality but at the same time he didn't want to turn down the offer and have George find out from someone else. From the way George had discussed the venture, Ron either had to enter business with George and stay with him while he managed it or decline and watch as Weasley's Wizard Wheezes fell apart, George wasn't offering up a temporary managerial position, this seemed to be a full career.

He explained how he got the unexpected call from George, Ginny looked somewhat uneasy, obviously not sure what direction Ron's conversation would take. She seemed however more calm when Ron explained George's thoughts on the partnership, glad to hear George seemed to be doing better than he had since their brother's death.

Both were truly supportive of the idea, (Ginny admittedly a little jealous that George had chosen to speak to Ron but understanding all the same). They encouraged Ron to take the job offer, allowing Ron to both be closer to George and quite independent in a role that would bring him a good pay check each week.

"The thing is, I don't know how to talk about it with Hermion- Oh Merlin, what about mum?" Ron finished, now looking a little panicked. "Sure she was impressed when she saw the place originally but do you really think she'll allow George to simply pick back up where he left off? And to have me follow him, she's not going to be pleased with me."

Ginny smirked, shaking her head. "Mum's a little batty about it all but I'm sure she'll think this is going to help George-" She was going to say 'move on' but didn't think that would ever be the case. "Accept the past and continue his life positively. You'll be helping that and I'd imagine she'd be very grateful."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "I have mental images of her brandishing a rolling pin yelling at me 'he's not ready for this, he needs to talk about his feelings, how could you let him do this?' Not fun." Despite his fears, he parted on a positive note; sure he knew the answer to George's question now and much looking forward to returning home to Hermione.

~o~o~o~

"So what did George want to talk about?" They were splayed out on the couch, Hermione laying belly down on Ron who was holding her middle, 'watching television' together but not really staring at the screen and more into space. Ron didn't always understand these muggle programs, too much drama at times and the plot was pure dribble.

"Well to be honest he wanted me to join him in re-establishing Weasley's Wizard Wheezes- but I'm still thinking about it, I don't know if I could commit to such a big project." Hermione looked somewhat surprise, not expecting that at all.

"I think it's very good of him to ask you, it bet it took a lot of courage, not to mention-" She paused as if checking to make sure they were alone (more or less except for Crookshanks who was sitting on a pile of books licking his paws clean). "He'd be very lonely and depressed on his own in London; he could really do with a stable influence."

"I want to be straight with you Hermione. It's not just getting the business back up and running, it's running the business George wants as well. He wants me to be his partner." The look on his face seemed to express the importance he was trying to stress on the decision; he didn't really understand why he was so unsure of himself, just a few hours earlier he'd shown that he was all for the idea, but his feelings changed when he considered that Hermione might actually tell him 'no'.

Hermione shrugged. "Then we both gain a full time, stable career- hopefully." She added with a smirk. "I'm not worried Ron, I know how close you are to your family, if you want to help them then by all means I don't want to get in between you and your brother. This is a big deal."

Ron smiled finally feeling at ease. "Oh… I have another confession," He looked a little worried now, truly concerned by her reaction. "I may have visited Harry and Ginny before coming home,"

Hermione did look a little shocked and hurt at this. "May have?" She asked with some force. Crookshanks sensed the terse atmosphere and sauntered off as quickly as his bandy legs would allow.

"I should have brought you, I'm sorry- but I promise you the next time we'll go together, they invited us for tea tomorrow night."

Hermione's tension eased. "Don't think that gets you off the hook…"

Ron smiled down at her, kissing the top of her head quickly. "You're the best 'Mione."


End file.
